On the ‘Destinations’ tab of my blog, are a variety of posts on some of the cool places we have visited in the last few years. However they are in no particular order and can sometimes be a bit tricky to figure out what is on there. So I thought I would do an index…
Many of you will have seen my posts relating to the Ocean Yachtmaster course I am doing. Coastguard Boating Education is the NZ equivalent to the British RYA courses. I have already done many of their courses and found them really useful and interesting. About five years ago I purchased the Ocean Yachtmaster home study…
After 19 years of fantastic fun on the water, the time has come for Wildwood to find a new family to share more adventures with. Price: $49,999 Contact: info@islandcruising.nz or phone 021 438 977 She is a wooden, glass on…
Hi everyone, It has been ages since I’ve written a blog post, and that is mainly because I’ve been so busy getting my new business off the ground for the last 15 months or so. Things have been pretty hectic! I have also got a job with SailGP as their On Water Operations Manager for…
I’ve got some exciting news to share! On Monday this week I purchased a company called Island Cruising NZ. It is a business that has been around since the 1980’s and was formed to help encourage New Zealand sailors to head up to Tonga. Since then it has grown to run rallies all over the…
So I was at a bar the other day chatting away to a couple of people I’d just met, and as is often the case in all conversations with yachties speaking to well – anyone really, we got on to the subject of sailing. “Ah sailing..” my companion said with a whimsical look in her…
Breeze was bobbing away quietly on C Pier at Nelson Marina, gently tugging on her mooring lines as I apprehensively walked up the dock on Monday morning. Chris from Sail Nelson was there to welcome me on board and he introduced me to James and Steve – my fellow Offshore Yachtmaster protégé’s. Despite all the…
I was only joking way back in 2017 when I suggested that a foiling monohull would be a good idea… New Zealand had just won the 35th Americas Cup regatta in the AC45 Catamarans. The speeds those foiling yachts could achieve were almost incomprehensible. While out sailing in our June winter series racing at Naval…
As President of the Little Ship Club of Canterbury, I am often asked to advertise crew wanted and crew available posts on our Facebook page and in the newsletter, and we are more than happy to do this, it is a great way of matching up skippers, boats and crew looking for extra hands on…
The dark grey hull of the HMNZS Canterbury loomed menacingly in the distance as we emerged from the Lyttelton tunnel. It was a stunning blue sky day with little wind and the temperature was rising. I glanced across at the heavy soft blue velvet bag sitting on Michelle’s lap and swallowed the lump in my…
There’s a saying with sailors that “plans are best made in the sand at low tide” – and there is no doubt that COVID-19 has caused much disruption to the plans of cruisers in New Zealand and the Pacific (and everyone else around the world too of course!). Regular blog readers will recall that I’ve…
When it comes to epic sailing survival stories, few can compare to the story of Shackleton’s Boat Journey. If you haven’t already read the book, then I highly recommend you do so. (You can buy a copy here) written by Frank Worsley, Shackleton’s boat captain. In summary way back in 1914 – 1916, Antarctic Explorer…
Astrolabe Sailing 